4 Types of Development that Create Future Leaders

Making the right training programs available to today’s employees creates the right set of leaders for the future. Four different training programs can help managers of today turn today’s employees into tomorrow’s managers. These four programs include coaching, group training, cross-training and one-on-one training.

Coaching

Coaching employees is one form of professional development to help move employees into a managerial role. Training by coaching does not have to be a formal process. In fact, it can be relatively informal and simple.

The daily interaction between an employee and their manager can be coaching. Coaches provide simple feedback, advice and guidance. Providing this advice and guidance is often done on the spot rather than having to set up any type of formal training sessions.

Coaching can include positive feedback and suggestions on how to modify and change things. Coaching often helps to motivate employees to strive to reach the next level of success in their positions and in their careers. It can also encourage employees to develop skills on their own.

Group Training

Group training tends to be more of a formal process in developing future leaders. Training sessions tend to be on a schedule to bring a group of employees together at the same time and place to develop skills as a group.

Group training is beneficial to a company because it provides the biggest bang for their buck. Trainers or managers can reach numerous employees in one training session, rather than having to spend one-on-one time with the individual employees.

Group training can even be beneficial to the trainees. Not only can employees learn from the managers and trainers conducting the sessions, but they can also learn from their fellow employees.

Cross-training

Productivity tends to increase when employees undergo cross-training. Cross-training involves training individual employees on the roles and tasks that other employees in the organization complete. This provides the employee an opportunity to learn new skills, but it also provides the employee with a new perspective.

Employees that receive cross-training tend to better understand how their role in the organization affects other employees. Additionally, these same employees learn how the roles of other employees fit into their own job tasks. In other words, it gives employees a big-picture view of the organization.

One-on-one Training

One-on-one training allows managers to work with employees on skills the individual employee needs to master. One-on-one training is probably the most intense of the training program options because it focuses on the needs of the individual. This kind of training requires the highest level of commitment on the part of the employee and on the part of the manager.

Managers and employees have to commit time to scheduling and attending the training sessions. Managers have to cater training materials and topics to the individual, which can require the manager to create curriculum rather than use existing content. While it requires the highest commitment level, one-on-one training can also reap the highest rewards because the employee receives the information and acquires and refines skills that are specific to their individual needs.

Developing future leaders comes down to the type of training available to the employees. Using one or a combination of the four primary types of training programs is the key element of success.